Category Archives: gift knitting

(That subject line is a bit funnier if you’ve seen Eddie Izzard joking about Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, but I digress).

So far it’s kicking off to be a pretty good weekend. It’s a sunny day and I’m finished my grading for the moment. I got to do some quality hangout time with lots of knitters at the Purple Purl last night for Jacquie who is sadly leaving Toronto, but San Francisco gets her so that’s good for SF. Today brings the definite prospect of knitting time and potential more hangout with local knitting friends, and I find myself grateful for knitting on so many levels – it’s brought me lots of awesome playing-with-yarn time, but it’s also brought me friends, and I’ll take that any day of the week.

The socks above are my current new project for travelling, socks for family friend Philip who just recently celebrated his ordination as a minister, and which will hopefully be knitted up at least in time for his birthday coming up later this month. He does occasionally read this blog, so I figure if they are somehow the last thing he would want to put on his feet, he can drop a note and say something along the lines of “step AWAY from the rusty burgundy. And that single cable. Ditch that too”, and I can go in a different direction.

They are the Masonic Socks from Quelle Erqsome knits, a pattern I discovered while investigating a sock pattern search through Ravelry. The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy, in Gothic Rose, on 2.5mm needles. (Did I mention that I am going to need more of this yarn? Preferably soon? Oh help). After about 2-3 repeats I think I’ve got it committed to my brain, and it’s keeping me more interested than stockinette or rib socks would, yet not in a tedious way, which is a hard combination to nail down.

The recipient has nothing to do with the Masons (nor do I, for that matter), but I’m hoping he will appreciate the pattern simplicity and that single cable tucked at the edge of the foot and leg. And it’s a bit hard to tell here, but in between the wide ribs are little beaded purl stitches, which add simple hidden texture. Secret stitches for secret deeds, I expect. Heck, I might just do a modified version for myself sometime later.

I hope your weekend is lovely and your knitting and friends are close by.